


Contract

by IsisKitsune



Series: Prompt Fics [36]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Demon!Pepper, Gen, Prompt Fic, Tony was a child during Afghanistan, kid!Tony, what if...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-27
Updated: 2013-02-27
Packaged: 2017-12-03 19:22:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/701770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsisKitsune/pseuds/IsisKitsune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trapped in a cave, captured by terrorist in the mist of a warzone, barely 13 and Tony Stark still didn't stop fighting-</p>
            </blockquote>





	Contract

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a [Prompt](http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/15292.html?thread=32833212#t32833212)  
> Switched up the title because I'm using the original name for the Series title. Yes, I said series. Not sure how long it's going to take for me to figure out how to do the rest of it. You have been warned.
> 
> Lots of hinting at past torture during Kid!Tony's captivity.

Tony hunched down over the wooden slab he’d been using as a workbench, his arms momentarily catching on the cables attached to his tiny chest as he finally started to crack. It hadn’t worked… The just wasn’t enough materials to salvage amongst the missiles. He couldn’t make the arc. He couldn’t get free of this infernal battery, couldn’t break his connection to the one weakness most liable to get him killed the instant he even tried anything out of line. Milligrams… He was short by mere milligrams to have a chance at independent again. And Yinsen just hadn’t been able to find a scrap more of palladium to complete it. “Tony,” Tony’s head lifted back toward the voice behind him, “There’s nothing more, I’m sorry.” The doctor had to know he was close to cracking, he didn’t even offer to lift the heavy battery as the young boy stood up to pace the few feet of distance the cables allowed him.

“It’s not your fault,” Tony threw in Yinsen’s general direction as he looked over the scattered pieces of the last dismantled missile, two or three passes of dulled brown eyes had his lip twitching upward. “Alright, they want a weapon- I’ll give them a weapon. Grab a wrench, and if you hear anyone behind the door tell them I need something to lift the equipment with. One of the guidance arms for the larger rockets should work in a pinch.”

“What do you need me to do?” Yinsen asked as he automatically grabbed up the battery as the young boy lead him toward the dismantled weapons.

“Know anything about metal work?” Yinsen’s brows tipped upward at the sudden determined look on the boy’s face. “I need something big enough to house this,” Tony knocked on the battery now at his feet, “and still let me move around. I’m not… I’m not strong enough to forge it myself without equipment.”

“We’d need a power source.”

“I’m working on that,” Tony mumbled as he glanced around the darkest corners of the cave before sighing, “Pepper, I could really use an assistant right now.”

Yinsen nudged his arm as if to say ‘You have one’ before getting to work. “I’m going to need some guidance on this.”

“I’ll get some schematics drawn up for you.”

-

Tony coughed as the body of the behemoth metal suit suddenly tipped off course after one too many rounds of gunfire hit it. Blood spattered against the faceplate while he scrambled to get to the damaged connection. His little heart was pounding with adrenaline and fear, not a good thing when suddenly the magnet that had been keeping shrapnel from tearing into his heart lay useless in his chest. “Yinsen,” he coughed out as he grabbed for the battery, hissing when acid started burning into his hands while he tried to figure his way out of this. He didn’t have an out, he didn’t have the strength or dexterity to even get himself out of the suit much less free the battery, even if that miracle happened he still had to patch the battery or find a new one in minutes. If he was lucky to make it that long. “Yinsen,” he called just loud enough to be heard over the sound of explosions getting closer. In some deeper part of his brain, he knew it was hopeless, he had seen Yinsen go down mere yards behind him, had seen him take his last breath, but that part wasn’t speaking up. A stray round slammed into the knee joint of the suit, pitching him to the ground, he gasped and coughed as he started hyperventilating. He couldn’t breathe…

It’s funny the things you remember just before the end.

_“This is Virginia Potts, she’s you new assistant.” Tony rolled his eyes and turned away from the mechanical arm he was assembling to half glare toward the woman standing just behind his father’s shoulder. “Be nice Tony, she’s going to be with the family for a long time.”_

_Tony had glared at the woman now smiling at him carefree once his father was out of sight. “So?”_

_“Let’s try starting with something simple. Call me Pepper,” Tony blinked down at the gloved hand offered to him. Realizing Tony wasn’t about to take it, her smile wavered momentarily before it returned in full force. “I only ever get called ‘Virginia’ if it’s life threatening.”_

_“Well, Pepper, you do realize that you’re a certified babysitter, right?”_

_“It wouldn’t be the oddest job requirement I’ve dealt with,” the smirk she’d given made him frown at her as she turned to leave. “Just remember, Tony, if you ever need me, just call my name.”_

“Vir-gin-ia,” Tony forced out between wheezes, he was trying and failing to keep from clawing at his chest, instinct trying to get whatever it was causing his chest to hurt off him.

“It’s about time you called,” Tony blinked up at the calm voice as if he was in a dream. “I couldn’t find you- been searching for months, what took you so long?” Tony couldn’t stop himself from laughing, somewhat hysterically, as she crouched down as best as her skirt and heels would allow on the soft sandy cave floor. “Tony?”

“Dying Pep… My heart’s broke, I couldn’t fix it.”

Pepper sighed as she pulled the menacing faceplate off the young boy’s face. “What if I told you I could fix it, but there’s a price.”

“Name it,” Tony coughed hard, staining Peppers’ gloves red as she brushed dirt from his face.

“Your soul.”

Tony tried to let out a bitter laugh, it came out a wheezed gasp for breath as he felt his pulse rapidly declining, “Deal.”

Pepper chuckled as she pulled off one delicate looking glove before ripping open the chest plate of the armor like it was tissue, “One down, one to go,” Tony made out an odd symbol on the back of her hand fading away before she pressed her nails into his chest. “This will be our contract.” Tony jerked at the searing pain spreading through his chest, it felt like his heart was being ripped completely out. “Whoever thought Howard would be so protective of you… that he would want this to be your fate.”

-

Tony jerked away, chest heaving, gasping for breath. “It’s alright, Tony, you’re safe.” He jerked back from the hand brushing his sweat damp hair out of his eyes. He gulped as he tried to calm his breathing when he realized it was just Pepper sitting on the side of his bed. “JARVIS said you were having a nightmare.” Tony nodded absently as he grabbed the glass of water on the nearby table for a drink. Pepper’s eyes took on an odd gleam in the darkness, “What was it about?”

Tony’s eyes rolled, over a year after it had happened, after learning of just how strong willed and ruthless Pepper could be when she wanted/needed to be, it still surprised him when she did something so; out of character. “The escape.”

Pepper’s lip twitched up in a twisted smirk, “You mean the cluster that was supposed to be your escape.”

“Right, that,” Tony rolled away and pulled the cover back up to cover the soft glow of the arc reactor in his chest.

“I don’t see why you insist on keeping that thing. You don’t  
need it.”

Tony’s hand automatically reached up to tap across the reactor, sighing softly, “I can’t very well go running around with a hole in my chest. You forgot to mention that contract wouldn’t heal the wound caused by Yinsen saving me, just my heart.” Tony left out the part that he swore never to be left without a power source ever again.

“Well, you didn’t specify **how** I was to fix you.”

“You’re right, and it taught me to always read a contract twice,” Tony snapped back. “Will that be all Ms. Potts?”

“Yes, that will be all Mr. Stark,” Pepper was grinning as she smoothed down the wrinkles of her skirt automatically and headed for the door.


End file.
